Commercial nuclear reactors used for generating electric power include a core composed of a plurality of fuel assemblies which generate heat used for electric power generation purposes. Each fuel assembly includes an array of fuel assembly rods and control rod guide tubes held in spaced relationship with each other by grids of egg-crate configuration spaced along the fuel assembly length. The fuel assembly rods may be approximately 0.5 inches in diameter and about 12 feet long, thus requiring a number of support grids along their length. Each grid includes a plurality of orthogonal Inconel or Zircaloy straps which are assembled in known manner to form multiple cells, with each cell having springs on two adjacent walls and projections, such as grid "waves" or arches (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,935), on each of the other two adjacent opposing walls. The springs impose lateral forces on each rod in the assembly, pressing the rods into contact with the opposing arches. One disadvantage inherent in this design, however, is that the inwardly projecting springs and arches, sometimes called "support features", as well as the cell defining grid strips, themselves, may cause fuel assembly rods being assembled into the fuel assembly by pushing or pulling to "hang-up" and damage the grid or to buckle a fuel rod's hollow fuel containing tubular cladding behind the solid end cap.